Jammu, Feb 12 (PTI) Four poachers, including a village defence committee (VDC) member, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly shooting dead a 'Sambar deer' in a forest area in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

VDC Special Police Officer (SPO) Krishan Singh, who was involved in the crime, was arrested and his weapon, a .303 rifle, was confiscated and seized, a police spokesman said.

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He identified the other arrested accused as Daler Singh, his brother Sher Singh and Bittu Singh, all residents of Lamsora village of Bhomag tehsil. Their licensed weapons used in the crime were also seized, he added.

The action followed receipt of reliable information about some persons having hunted the protected wild animal in Lamsora forest, the spokesman said, adding as the case was of special nature, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Shailender Singh constituted a special team which immediately rushed to the area to explore facts and made the arrests.

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He said Krishan Singh was disengaged as VDC SPO and his services have been discontinued.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)